Dhaka, North Korean diplomat stopped at the airport with 27 kilograms of gold
Dhaka (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Bangladesh government has expelled a North Korean diplomat that sought to illegally introduce 27 kilograms of gold into the country using his international credentials.
Customs' authorities stopped Son Young-nam, First Secretary of the Embassy in Pyongyang in Dhaka, immediately after landing in the capital of Bangladesh. The arrest took place on 7 March, but was unknown until now.
In his diplomatic bag, Son had hidden bullion and gold
jewelry valued at approximately $ 1.6 million. Although normally the members of
foreign representatives cannot be checked by the authorities of the host
countries, the sanctions imposed by the international community against North
Korea for its nuclear program allow searches and interrogations against regime officials.
The customs authorities have released the First Secretary, who under
international law it was not sanctioned. However they have ordered his
expulsion from the country and declared that it was "a clear case of
smuggling." The
gold was seized.
Mohammad Shahidul Haque, a Foreign Ministry official in
Dhaka, said the ambassador to Pyongyang was instructed to "send Son home.
We told him he should be judged by the authorities of his country, but we asked
him to keep us updated on developments in the case. We have also informed them that
the next time we will take more serious action".
Gold smuggling seems to be a growing market in Bangladesh. According to local
authorities, most of the precious metal originates from Dubai. In the last 22
months, the Dhaka customs has seized nearly a ton of gold: in the previous five
years, the volume was only 15 pounds.
The gold comes from the Gulf countries and is then sent to India through about 4 thousand kilometers of badly supervised border with Bangladesh. According to some experts, the smuggling is on the rise since Delhi has imposed heavy restrictions on imports of gold into the country.
.png)
